Talk about making lemonade out of lemons. One baseball bettor made a small fortune fading the worst team in the majors, betting against the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates in all 162 games this season.
The Bucs’ dismal 57-105 record, including a 17-64 mark on the road, earned long-time Pirates fan Greg Mercer a cool $324.34. He wagered $20 per game against Pittsburgh on moneyline and runline odds, counting on his favorite club to fall short of the 1.5-run spread or lose outright each time out.
“I’m a realistic Pirates fan,” Mercer told reporters. “Obviously I do cheer for the team to do well. But I know their limitations, I follow the players closely and I know they don’t have the talent necessary to a high caliber team right now.”
Not only did Mercer keep tabs of his money won and lost but he also documented each game in a spread sheet, which includes some hilarious observations and thoughts on the Pirates’ plight. Here are a few of our favorites:
“Most epic loss EVER in Pirates' history. FOR REAL. Wow they suck balls” - 4-3 loss to Houston April 23
“That's all we got, one god-damned hit? Eh, nobody's listening anyway” - 9-0 loss to Cincinnati May 11
“Absolute rape-fest in Philly. Morton sucked. Howard slam. Pathetic” - 12-2 loss to Philadelphia May 17
“Maholm blew ass. Eveland blew ass. This team blows ass” - 13-3 loss to Texas June 23
“I'd rather see the watermelon smashing Gallagher pitch. Sean sucks” - 9-2 loss to San Diego July 24